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Sony's Next-Generation Portable Is Out, In Japan

Posted by timothy on from the people-used-to-wait-in-line-for-concerts dept.

A few months before it's due to arrive in the U.S., Sony's PlayStation Vita, successor to the PlayStation Portable, has been released in Japan. Says the linked Associated Press article: "For the Tokyo-based electronics and entertainment giant, the Vita is the biggest product launch since the PlayStation 3 console five years ago. It's also accompanied by two dozen software products — the largest number of launch titles in PlayStation history. The Vita has front and back cameras, a touchscreen in front, a touch pad on the back and two knob-like joysticks. It will enable gamers to play against each other using PlayStation 3 consoles over the Internet-based PlayStation Network, a system that was hit with a massive hacking attack earlier this year."

22 of 134 comments (clear)

  1. Simple "will I buy it" test. by pecosdave · · Score: 3, Interesting

    There's a simple test I put electronics through before I buy them - it reads something like this:

    Does it need a data port?

    Y - Go to next step
    N - Star weighing other details

    Does it have a Micro USB port?

    Y - Star weighing other details
    N - Go to next step.

    Does it have a Mini USB port?

    Y - Star weighing other details
    N - Go to next step.

    Does it have a Full sized USB port?

    Y - Star weighing other details
    N - Go to next step.

    Does it have a six pin Firewire port?

    Y - Star weighing other details
    N - Go to next step.

    Does it have a four pin Fiewire port?

    Y - Star weighing other details
    N - DON'T BUY THE DAMNED THING

    Playstation Vita fails this simple test. It's also why I passed on the Galaxy Tab. I really don't need to carry any more cables with me.

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    1. Re:Simple "will I buy it" test. by Nursie · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Why?

      It could cost $5 and I wouldn't buy it because it comes stamped with 'Sony' on the front. Screw that and screw them.

      On top of which there's a whole new proprietary memory card format! Hooray!

    2. Re:Simple "will I buy it" test. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

      You forgot one step:
      Is it a SONY product? Y - move along, nothing to see here.

      (Sorry, but it has not been long enough to forget the last screw up.)

    3. Re:Simple "will I buy it" test. by Lumpy · · Score: 2

      And anyone that has programmed robotics knows that only the newbies don't put in a fall through switch. Failure to use those will = damaged hardware or death to someone.

      you ALWAYS do a fall through safety.

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    4. Re:Simple "will I buy it" test. by Megane · · Score: 3, Informative

      As a programmer, something about the way this conditional logic is specified makes me twitch.

      It's s/star/start/g that makes me twitch. If you're going to copy and paste something six times, you could at least notice that you've left a letter off.

      --
      #naabhaprzrag, #sverubfr-000, #agi-fcbafberq, negvpyr[pynff*=' negvpyr-ary-'] { qvfcynl: abar !vzcbegnag; }
    5. Re:Simple "will I buy it" test. by TheLink · · Score: 2

      1) The smart phones and tablets will kill this - lots of games on them. Worse if bluetooth gaming controllers/joysticks become popular or get bundled with some games.
      2) It's Sony. Many slashdotters won't buy Sony anymore.

      But yeah if the price is negative USD200 I'd buy it. Call me a sell-out but the USD200 will be nice in my drive upgrade/replacement fund :).

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    6. Re:Simple "will I buy it" test. by orphiuchus · · Score: 3, Funny

      Sony doesn't hate gamers, they just have absolutely no respect for them.

    7. Re:Simple "will I buy it" test. by NeutronCowboy · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Sony doesn't hate pirates, because pirates are cheap and never pay for anything. Sony does hate the second-hate market though, because these people are willing to pay money for a game, but Sony doesn't see a red cent of it.

      That's why nearly all recent games, and every major title in the past year, has had download-only content in it right from the start. And by the way, Sony isn't the only one doing this.

      --
      Those who can, do. Those who can't, sue.
    8. Re:Simple "will I buy it" test. by Spy+Handler · · Score: 2

      Blu ray is not proprietary, any more than the CD format is proprietary.

    9. Re:Simple "will I buy it" test. by sortius_nod · · Score: 3, Informative

      You are confusing copy protection with proprietary media formats. There's no correlation between the two. The drives will still read CDs, DVDs & BDs that DON'T have the copy protection, you just can't execute code without bypassing said protection. With the Vita, there is NOTHING compatible with the proprietary media format they are using. You can't get a reader & you can't get blank media.

      Dictionaries are useful tools when you don't understand a concept, even a quick google would have given you enough information to say your comment is flawed.

    10. Re:Simple "will I buy it" test. by tepples · · Score: 2

      You are confusing copy protection with proprietary media formats. There's no correlation between the two. The drives will still read CDs, DVDs & BDs that DON'T have the copy protection, you just can't execute code without bypassing said protection.

      For one thing, that's not copy protection but instead execute protection because it restricts execution even of original software that is not an illegal copy.

      With the Vita, there is NOTHING compatible with the proprietary media format they are using.

      Which is different from another company's Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, and Nintendo DS media how? Even within the Sony-verse, Memory Stick PRO Duo might be considered a proprietary media format.

  2. A good thing? by lyinhart · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Somehow this seems a little irrelevant, considering the boon of gaming on mobile phones and an economy that makes people think twice of buying a separate portable gaming system.

    --
    Freedom is drinking a beer in the park when you're supposed to be at work.
    1. Re:A good thing? by wrencherd · · Score: 3

      Somehow this seems a little irrelevant, considering the boon of gaming on mobile phones and an economy that makes people think twice of buying a separate portable gaming system.

      I have to agree that "gaming" is becoming a redundant function.

      The first reaction to something like the Vita has to be, "What else does it do?"

    2. Re:A good thing? by shione · · Score: 2

      Exactly. That is why the results of this devices sales will win/lose regardless how well mobile phones perform.

      With Sony having a foot in android phones as well it keeps them covered in both markets.

      For serious gaming there is nothing that beats tactile feedback from real buttons and controls. How many times have you played a FPS on a touchscreen and had to adjust the positioning of your thumb because its moved off the touch directional pad?

    3. Re:A good thing? by shione · · Score: 2

      You can listen to music, browse the internet (has html5 support), go on youtwitface, watch movies, read ebooks I guess. Basically the same stuff as a smartphone minus gps and phone features and in a bigger form factor but the gaming experience should be better. It runs a arm chip so I wouldnt be surprised if somebody manages port android to it like they've done with a ipod touch.

    4. Re:A good thing? by Lumpy · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Because contrary to what apple and google wants you to think, Game controls on phones suck.

      Go ahead and play Rage on the iphone or Ipad.. it's frustrating as hell.

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    5. Re:A good thing? by Megane · · Score: 2

      Good luck jailbreaking it first. That's one of the reasons they're completely breaking away from the old PSP architecture other than more or less keeping the same form factor.

      --
      #naabhaprzrag, #sverubfr-000, #agi-fcbafberq, negvpyr[pynff*=' negvpyr-ary-'] { qvfcynl: abar !vzcbegnag; }
    6. Re:A good thing? by TheLink · · Score: 2

      Does stuff like this help? http://www.icontrolpad.com/

      If the prices go down and stuff like this becomes popular for Android and Apple stuff I think the portable gaming console market is going to die and be completely replaced by the phones and pads.

      --
  3. Another 'Dependent' Product by WrongSizeGlass · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It will enable gamers to play against each other using PlayStation 3 consoles over the Internet-based PlayStation Network

    Just like RIM's PlayBook, the Vita requires another expensive manufacture & platform specific product to be able to use its full capabilities. This isn't as bad as RIM's requirement for a BlackBerry just to be able to get email, but this type of forced dependency is never good for the consumer.

    1. Re:Another 'Dependent' Product by Gravatron · · Score: 2

      You don't need a ps3 for online play you know, no more then you needed one for the PSP. You can just play over normal wireless if you so chose, provided your in range of a network or hotspot. The PSvita does support playing against ps3 games in certain games though, a first for a handheld.

  4. Q: but does it run linux? by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 2

    A: Cease and Desist letter.

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    Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
  5. A bit of theory by anonymov · · Score: 2

    All cheating can be basically divided in two groups: providing false information and abusing information you shouldn't know.

    For multiplayer, all cheats of first kind - and cheats mentioned in GP are in there - can and must be detected by the server or the peer.

    The first principle of all robust network apps - MP games are just a single example of net soft, after all - is "Trust no one".

    See, even though "The cheat actually play with the game's memory" it shouldn't matter in this case, because "The game's memory" is not only in cheater's device, it's necessarily on other player's devices as well.

    For example, infinite health just won't work when the server keeps tabs on each player's HP. It only works if server blindly trusts when cheater's client tells him "Hey, don't mind those hits, I still have 100HP".

    And sniping from outside the map only works when server doesn't ensure players don't move outside the bounds.

    But here game devs just said "Naah, too much bother, what can go wrong?". Why shouldn't they be blamed for dismissing basic sanity checks and blindly trusting that there will never-ever-ever-ever be a modified client on the net?